The present invention is directed to mobile real-time 2-way audio-video communications and similar or related media (animations, visualizations, audio-video editors etc.) employing high performance communications for mobile applications, and more specifically to technical approaches to network technology and mobile devices for these so as to make associated applications and telecommunications services commercially viable more quickly than would otherwise occur via natural market and technology evolution trends.
“Mobile Devices” and “Wireless Devices:” Terminology and Networking
In this discussion “mobile devices” are viewed as communications devices comprising at least high radio frequency networking provided by cellular common-carrier providers, while “wireless devices” are devices comprising at least high radio frequency networking provided by local “WiFi” networks. Examples of “mobile devices” include but are not limited to smartphones, cellphones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, and laptop computers
Some smartphones, cellphones, and other types of portable devices only operate as mobile devices. Other types of portable devices only operate as wireless devices. Some smartphones, cellphone, and other types of portable devices can operate in multiple modes: as mobile devices, as wireless devices, or in some implementations as both wireless devices simultaneously.
Types of Mobile and Wireless Video Services
Video services provided by mobile and wireless devices currently include at least some form of the following:                Broadcast video reception (mobile/wireless TV)        Streaming video reception from servers (Flash, YouTube, etc.)        Live streaming video reception        Live broadcast video transmission        Two-way video conversations        
Other bandwidth intensive and processor intensive services supportable by mobile and wireless devices include at least:                Interactive animations (Google Earth & Street View)        High-speed file download        High-speed file upload        
As mobile and wireless device technology improve, future bandwidth intensive and processor intensive capabilities supportable by mobile and wireless devices are likely to include at least:                Multi-point two-way video conferencing        Encrypted two-way video conferencing        High-speed file upload        
FIG. 1 depicts the current evolution of video services on mobile devices.
Bandwidth Management in Enterprise and Mobile Networks
In the enterprise, bandwidth limitations come and go over time, but at this writing there is a current crisis and with new high-bandwidth applications, and this crisis is likely to persist for quite a while (and certainly reoccur again). A number of innovative yet pragmatic and practical solutions to bandwidth management in enterprise in networks are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 7,738,492 and pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/828,145 and 61/503,053.
Mobile networks will increasing need to support advanced applications with extensive bandwidth needs, creating a bandwidth need explosion against limited available spectrum. In mobile networks, typically there is a permanent bandwidth limitation due to limited spectrum. Fine-grained reuse has been one solution, but not adequate in many situations and has its own ultimate limitations despite introductions of spatially-bounded bandwidth re-use strategies (micro-cells, pico-cells, femto-cells, etc.) causing acute impending needs for bandwidth management.
Value of the Present Invention
The present invention first modifies and adapts the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 7,738,492 and pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/828,145 and 61/503,053 for use providing bandwidth management to advanced applications in mobile networks, and further builds synergistically upon those foundations with new capabilities.